KALB hosting grabber, trash bag giveaway

Published 4:00 am Wednesday, July 15, 2020

People looking to make a dent in the amount of litter in Limestone County are just a car ride away from gaining some free items to help with the cause.

Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful is hosting a “Drive-Thru Bags-N-Grabber Giveaway” from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. The KALB office is located at 125 East St., across from the duck pond and Big Spring Memorial Park.

According to KALB Executive Coordinator Lynne Hart, KALB will be giving away 200 metal litter grabbers and 200 sample-size boxes of Glad trash bags along with a washable, reusable litter bag. One of each item will be distributed per vehicle.

She said the group received a promise of fund reimbursement from Keep Alabama Beautiful and the Alabama Department of Transportation to purchase supplies, but KALB has “enough litter grabbers for all our cleanups,” so it was suggested the excess supplies be given away to the public.

“Our hope is that people will use them to clean up an area in their neighborhood,” Hart said. “We will provide additional trash bags so long as they are going to keep cleaning. We would also like people to call us and tell us where they cleaned and how many bags of trash were picked up.”

The reusable litter bags have the KALB litter hotline on it, which Hart encouraged residents to call if they witness an act of littering in the county. The bags will also include a magnet featuring items that the Athens-Limestone Recycling Center will and will not take once it is functioning at full capacity. The center is only accepting certain items during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hart said KALB’s office layout made it perfect for a drive-thru-style giveaway.

“This is our first time having a drive-thru giveaway,” she said. “We probably would have done it the same way even if coronavirus wasn’t a thing. It’s easy to get in and out of our parking lot.”

Hart said the hours of the event were chosen to make things convenient for people to drive by and get the items on their way home from work. Call 256-233-8000 or email KALBCares@gmail.com for more information or to report an area cleaned of litter in the county.